10 DC Characters Who Are Forces of Nature, Literally

In DC Comics, both heroes and villains draw their power from a wide variety of sources, from magic to cosmic energy. Some characters also draw their godlike abilities from Mother Nature. Whether they control water, earth, air, the weather, plants, or animals, these environmentally powered characters tap into the Earth’s fundamental forces and oftentimes use them on a global scale and sometimes on a universal scale. Many of these characters, both heroes and villains, are champions of their respective elemental forces and battle those who would seek to harm them. With their incredible abilities, these DC characters personify the vast spectrum of natural forces that make up our planet.

The Earth in DC Comics is full of various primordial and elemental forces that characters can channel to give themselves incredible abilities.

10) Anton Arcane

When people think of nature, they tend to imagine only its beautiful, peaceful, and lively aspects. However, as Swamp Thing’s archenemy Anton Arcane can attest to, death and rot are also fundamental parts of nature. As one of the most evil characters in DC, Anton Arcane is a mad scientist and sorcerer whose obsession with immortality led him to create monstrous undead. Ironically, despite Arcane’s attempts to cheat death, he was chosen by the Parliament of Decay to become the Avatar of the Black, which is the primordial force that drives all death and rot in the multiverse. Instead of keeping the balance of nature, the Black is constantly trying to grow and consume all life in existence, which Anton is more than happy to help with. As the Avatar of the Black, Anton possesses potent necromancy powers which he uses to raise armies of the dead. The rest of Anton’s bloodline would inherit this connection to the Black, including his niece Abby, who would use her powers for good.

9) Floronic Man

Dr. Jason Woodrue was a scientist who worked with Alec Holland and Pamela Isley. Since both of those scientists became masters of flora, it was only logical for Woodrue to follow suit. In fact, Woodrue’s experiments caused Dr. Isley to become Poison Ivy. Obsessed with plant life, Woodrue underwent experiments that turned him into the monstrous plant creature known as Floronic Man. A sadistic eco-terrorist who seeks to exterminate all animals on Earth, Floronic Man has frequently attempted to usurp Swamp Thing’s position as the one true Champion of the Parliament of Trees. For a time, Floronic Man took control of the offshoot Parliament of Flowers by killing and consuming their rookie avatar. With his plant-based body and connection to the Green, Floronic Man has complete control over all forms of flora on Earth. Floronic Man stands as one of the most powerful and sadistic eco-terrorists in DC Comics who won’t rest until he alone commands the Green.

8) Mera

Mera isn’t the Queen of Atlantis for nothing. Mera is a princess from the underwater nation of Xebel, which split off from Atlantis. Her royal bloodline gave her an inherited ability to control water. Mera would eventually become Aquaman’s love interest and then his wife, ruling over the Seven Seas side-by-side. And with her years of training and royal bloodline, Mera’s mastery of hydrokinesis makes her one of Atlantis’s most powerful defenders. With her god-like power, Mera can drain a person of all the water in their body and create solid constructs out of water. The range of Mera’s hydrokinesis is also practically limitless, as she’s taken control of all the world’s oceans simultaneously, which she used to overpower the Justice League and nearly flood countless cities. She can even use water as an interdimensional gateway to transport herself to any other body of water. With this power, all water is at Mera’s command.

7) Red Tornado

The android superhero Red Tornado may not look like it, but within his metallic shell lies an elemental force of near-unrivaled might. The villainous mad scientist T. O. Morrow sought to create a robot to infiltrate and destroy the Justice Society. During the construction of this robot, Morrow harnessed the power of the Tornado Champion. This entity is the benevolent aspect of Ulthoom, a primordial elemental that personifies wind. Having bonded with the newly created robot, the Tornado Champion’s heroic persona influenced Red Tornado to become a superhero and rebel against Morrow. As an android that houses the living embodiment of wind, Red Tornado can naturally conjure mighty crimson cyclones that can destroy everything in their path. Although for now Red Tornado has lost his physical body and connection to the Tornado Champion, it’s only a matter of time until he once again becomes the ultimate fusion of technology and nature.

6) Terra

Terra’s status as either a hero or villain may be questionable given her infamy for repeatedly backstabbing the Teen Titans, but what can’t be denied is her near unrivaled mastery of the Earth. Tara Markov, along with her brother Brion Markov, aka Geo-force, was a member of Markovia’s royal family. Both of them eventually developed potent geokinetic powers. With the power to control all earthly minerals along with the very ground beneath her feet, Terra is among the most powerful heroes the Teen Titans have ever allowed into their ranks. Through rigorous training, Terra pushed her geokinetic powers to new heights. At her peak, Terra could generate earthquakes, cause volcanoes to erupt, and create sentient earth monsters to fight on her behalf. Terra’s powers aren’t even limited to Earth; when she traveled to the magical realm known as Gemworld, she immediately bent the dimension to her will. Terra’s as powerful as the Earth itself.

5) Beast Boy

The green-skinned Teen Titan Beast Boy is practically the personification of the entire animal kingdom. When Garfield Logan was a young boy, his parents injected him with an experimental serum to cure him of a deadly disease. The serum not only healed Garfield and turned his skin green, but also gave him the ability to tap into the Red, the primordial, mystical source of energy that connects all fauna in the multiverse. With this connection, Beast Boy can shapeshift into any animal and microorganism, from a blue whale to an amoeba. Beast Boy transforming ability isn’t even limited to regular animals, as he can also turn into extinct beasts, alien lifeforms, and even mythical creatures like a dragon or phoenix. Depending on the animal, Beast Boy can also duplicate and transform himself into a swarm of insects. Through his connection to the Red, the powers of any animal are at Beast Boy’s disposal.

4) Poison Ivy

Dr. Pamela Isley’s devotion to plant life and nature conservation have made her one of Batman’s deadliest enemies and the most notorious eco-terrorist on Earth. When Isley was used as an unwilling lab rat in one of Jason Woodrue’s experiments, she gained the ability to secrete deadly poisons and pheromones as well as manipulate all forms of plant life. This power resulted from Poison Ivy tapping into the Green, the mystical, sentient hivemind that connects all flora in existence. The experiment also caused Poison Ivy to go insane as she believed herself to be the champion of nature and sought to use her godlike powers to exterminate humanity. Poison Ivy is more than capable of accomplishing this goal thanks to her ability to create carnivorous mutant plants and cause entire cities to become overrun with bushes and vines. Sometimes Poison Ivy’s plant-manipulating abilities can even work on a global scale, making her the personification of Mother Nature’s fury.

3) Animal Man

In the same way the Green chooses champions in the forms of Swamp Thing, Poison Ivy, and Floronic Man, the Avatar of the Red and protector of fauna is Buddy Baker, aka Animal Man. After being experimented on by aliens, Buddy became tethered to the Red and the Life Web that connects all animal life in the multiverse. Through this connection, Buddy can mimic the abilities of any animal in the universe. In an instant, Animal Man could grant himself the strength of a T. Rex, the speed of a cheetah, the flight of a hawk, and more. In both his day job as an animal conservationist and his superhero career, Animal Man protects all wildlife from those who would harm it, from poachers to avatars of the Black. Out of all the heroes and villains with animal-based powers, Animal Man was handpicked by the Parliament of Limbs to be their champion and the master of the Red.

2) Aquaman

Aquaman has always been one of DC Comics’ most underrated powerhouses, but in recent years he’s essentially become a god. As the King of Atlantis, Aquaman’s telepathy allows him to control all manner of aquatic life to create armies of billions. And with his Trident of Neptune, Aquaman can manipulate the atmosphere to cast mighty storms and hurricanes. Yet, all of that immense power is nothing compared to when Aquaman became the Avatar of the Blue. This multiversal elemental force flows through all water in existence. As the Blue’s champion, Aquaman can harness the power of an infinite number of oceans to become unstoppable. His newfound hydrokinesis is so potent that it rivals, and sometimes surpasses, that of his wife, Mera. He can summon billions of tons of water buried deep beneath the Earth or take control of the blood in a person’s body. Even Poseidon himself found himself outmatched against the true King of the Seas.

1) Swamp Thing

There’s no greater elemental power in the DC Universe than Swamp Thing. When researcher Alec Holland was in a lab accident in a swamp, he was seemingly turned into a plant-based creature called Swamp Thing. However, it was revealed that Holland was dead, and that Swamp Thing was the product of the deceased scientist’s memories being absorbed by the swamp’s plant life. As a monster literally made of vegetation, Swamp Thing was chosen by the Parliament of Trees to be the Avatar of the Green. With this position, Swamp Thing’s essence now courses through every piece of plant matter on Earth. With a thought, he can manifest himself anywhere in the world where there’s plant life. Furthermore, all flora on Earth is simultaneously at Swamp Thing’s command, which he uses to enforce the delicate balance of nature. Those who attempt to harm the Green will find themselves at the mercy of Swamp Thing’s wrath and the full force of Mother Nature.

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